To Die For (novel)

Last updated
To Die For
Author Linda Howard
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SeriesBlair Mallory Series
GenreRomance, suspense
Publisher Random House Publishing
Publication date
December 28, 2004
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages384
Followed byDrop Dead Goregous [1]  

To Die For is an American novel by Linda Howard. It was published in 2004 by Random House Publishing. It made the New York Times Best Seller list. It is the first book in the Blair Mallory Series, followed by Drop Dead Gorgeous. [2]

Contents

Plot summary

Blair Mallory is the owner of a fitness center named Great Bods. She got the money to open the fitness club from the divorce of her first husband Jason Carson. Blair caught Jason kissing her underage sister Jenni at a family get-together. Blair knew he wanted to run for congressman so, for the ultimate revenge, she snapped a picture of the two kissing. Jason, knowing the picture would ruin him, paid her a bundle in the divorce.

She begins to notice that one of her members, Nicole, has been copying everything she has done. She begins to wear her hair like Blair, dressing like Blair, and even buys the same style of car as Blair. Blair isn't the only one who has a problem with Nicole: Almost all the women in the gym do not like Nicole, as she hogs the machines, is mean to other members, and openly flirts with the married men in the gym. After many complaints, Blair sits her down and tells her that her membership will not be renewed for another year. Nicole becomes furious and threatens to sue Blair. Blair is always the last one to leave the gym so as she is about to walk out the door to her car she notices Nicole waiting for her in the parking lot. Blair becomes scared and makes a run for the car with her phone ready to dial 911. She hears a gunshot and instinctively hits the ground, dropping her cellphone underneath the car so that Blair is unable to call for help. She tries to stay quiet so that Nicole won't realize she didn't hit Blair but, after a while, she thinks maybe Nicole left and makes a run for the door to the gym. She makes it into the gym safely where she goes to her office and dials 911. The police arrive and Blair tells the officers the story. They inform her that Nicole didn't kill her because Nicole was murdered.

She then hears the voice of her ex-boyfriend, Wyatt Bloodsworth. He is a police lieutenant and came after hearing the case over the radio. Blair is immediately brought back to the memories of the three dates they went on two years ago. He begins to question Blair and lets her know she is no longer a suspect. Wyatt takes her home and, due to the stress, she decides she wants to go to the beach. She rents a condo and spends the day relaxing on the beach, eventually falling asleep. She wakes up to someone carrying her. Blair begins to freak out until she realizes that it is Wyatt. He carries her back to her condo. She is very frustrated when he tells her that he found her by looking at her credit card transactions. He then kisses her and all her feelings for him come rushing back. She agrees that they can start over and try their relationship again.

The next day they head home and Wyatt takes her back to her car, still at the gym. As she is about to get in her car, she feels a piercing pain in her arm; she falls to the ground and sees another car driving away. She realizes she has been shot. Wyatt calls the station, reports the crime, and calls an ambulance. Blair is taken to the hospital where they tell her she is going to be okay: It was just a flesh wound. That night Blair goes to Wyatt's. They figure out that a man named Dwyane Bailey is the killer behind Nicole's murder. They bring him into the station for questioning. He admits to killing Nicole but not the attacks on Blair. The next day she is driving, approaching a traffic light, and when she tries to hit the brakes the pedal goes to the floor. Her brakes were cut, and she is going full-speed into the intersection. She goes to the hospital where they tell her she's going to be okay, just sore.

Blair and Wyatt go back to his house where he gets a call that Dwayne's alibi checks out for the times of Blair's attacks. They rethink who could be the killer. The next day, she comes downstairs feeling better and Wyatt tosses her a small velvet box. He gets on one knee and asks him to marry her. She says yes. They begin to get ready because she is going to the precinct with Wyatt. She arrives and sits in his office for the day making a list of potential suspects. He comes rushing in saying that all the detectives have been called to a location but can't give any details. She is alone in Wyatt's office when she sees a familiar face: Jason's. He pulls out a gun and tells her to be quiet. Blair isn't that scared because she doesn't think he will be able to go through with it. Jason tells her his new wife, Debra, was the one who shot at her in the parking lot. She came home and told him; he got worried that she would get caught and ruin his chance at being a congressman. So he decided to kill her himself by cutting her brake line. Since that didn't work, he called in a fake report of a crime being committed to get the police out of the station so he could kill Blair. Just then Debra walks in because she followed Jason here. She is convinced that they are having an affair until Blair tells her that Jason came here to kill her. Surprisingly, this shows Debra that Jason really loves her and becomes happy. Blair decides that this is the perfect time to get the gun from Jason, and she kicks it out of his hands. Just as Blair is doing so, the S.W.A.T team arrives, arresting Jason and Debra. Blair and Wyatt are really together for the first time. [3]

Other characters

Critical reception

Publishers Weekly says that Linda Howard "brings her usual high level of intelligence and flair to her latest tale of romantic suspense." However, they did note that the plot by the middle begins "to stall" because the suspense dies for a few chapters and reading Blair and Wyatt's bickering gets old. One Amazon customer wrote in a review that "this novel has plenty of romance, but is overflowing with suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat." [4] One user on the website The Best Reviews wrote that although she liked the book she found the "first person writing to be redundant." However, she does like the book and calls Howard's writing "classy." [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Stir of Echoes</i> 1999 film by David Koepp

Stir of Echoes is a 1999 American supernatural horror film written and directed by David Koepp and based on the 1958 novel of the same name by Richard Matheson. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Illeana Douglas and Kevin Dunn.

Black Angel is a 1946 American film noir starring Dan Duryea, June Vincent and Peter Lorre. Directed by Roy William Neill, it was his final feature film. Produced by Universal Pictures, it is set in Los Angeles and broadly adapted from Cornell Woolrich's 1943 novel The Black Angel.

<i>The Fog</i> (2005 film) 2005 film by Rupert Wainwright

The Fog is a 2005 supernatural horror film directed by Rupert Wainwright and starring Tom Welling, Selma Blair, and Maggie Grace. It is a remake of John Carpenter's 1980 film of the same name and was produced by Carpenter and Debra Hill who co-wrote the original film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonny Corinthos</span> Fictional character

Sonny Corinthos is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Maurice Benard has played the role of the manic depressive mob kingpin, living in Port Charles, since the character's storyline originated on August 13, 1993. Sonny is also known for supercouple pairings with Brenda Barrett and Carly Benson. Since joining the show, he has become a central character, with many storylines focusing on his family, friends, and criminal enterprise.

<i>Stranger in Our House</i> 1978 American television horror film directed by Wes Craven

Stranger in Our House is a 1978 American television horror film directed by Wes Craven and starring Linda Blair, Lee Purcell, Jeremy Slate, Jeff McCracken, and Jeff East. It is based on the 1976 novel Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan. The film premiered on NBC on October 31, 1978, and subsequently received theatrical releases in Europe under the title Summer of Fear.

Debra Charlotte Morgan is a fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay for his Dexter book series. She also appears in the television series, based on Lindsay's books, portrayed by Jennifer Carpenter. In Lindsay's novels, she first appeared in Darkly Dreaming Dexter and was featured in every novel in the series. Debra is the sister of the series' antihero protagonist Dexter Morgan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Bass</span> Fictional character

Charles Bartholomew Bass is a fictional character in the novel and television series Gossip Girl. In the TV series, he is portrayed by British actor Ed Westwick. Although he is a secondary antagonist in the original book series, the TV series elevates him to an antiheroic main character, and the male lead of the show, where he is noted for his financial ambition, hedonism and personal style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dexter Morgan</span> Fictional character from the Dexter book and TV series

Dexter Morgan is a fictional character introduced as the antihero protagonist of the Dexter book series written by Jeff Lindsay, as well as the television series of the same name. In the television series, Dexter is portrayed by Michael C. Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John McBain (character)</span> Soap opera character

John McBain is a fictional character on the American daytime dramas One Life to Live and General Hospital, portrayed by Michael Easton.

<i>The War Between Men and Women</i> 1972 film by Melville Shavelson

The War Between Men and Women is a 1972 American comedy-drama film directed by Melville Shavelson and starring Jack Lemmon, Barbara Harris, and Jason Robards. The film is based on the writings of humorist James Thurber, and was released by Cinema Center Films. It features animated cartoons interspersed in the story based on Thurber's works. Shavelson was creator of the 1969 Thurber-based television series My World and Welcome to It. The screenplay is by Shavelson and by Danny Arnold, who also worked on the 1969 series. Lisa Gerritsen, who plays Linda Kozlenko in the film, previously co-starred in My World and Welcome to It as Lydia Monroe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Humphrey</span> Fictional character

Daniel Randolph Humphrey is a fictional character from the Gossip Girl franchise.

<i>The Babysitter</i> (novel series) Novel series by R. L. Stine

The Babysitter is a novel series by R. L. Stine. The first novel in the series was published in 1989, and it led to establishing Stine as a prominent author in the children's horror genre. The first novel follows a simple premise of a babysitter who finds she is the next in a series of babysitting victims to a crazed killer. Three sequels of this book were published: The Babysitter II in July 1991, The Babysitter III in October 1993 and The Babysitter IV in June 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aria Montgomery</span> Fictional character

Aria Marie Fitz is a fictional character in the Pretty Little Liars franchise created by American author Sara Shepard. Described as an “alternative” and artsy teen, the franchise revolves around Aria and her three best friends being blackmailed, stalked and tortured by an anonymous identity known as “A” after the disappearance of their friend Alison DiLaurentis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indi Walker</span> Soap opera character

Indigo "Indi" Walker is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Samara Weaving. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 30 July 2009. Weaving and her on-screen family initially appeared in 2009 for a guest stint, in 2010 they were written back into the serial on a permanent basis. Indi's storylines have often focused on her relationship with Romeo Smith. Weaving announced her departure from Home and Away in July 2013 and Indi departed on 13 November 2013

<i>The Peripheral</i> 2014 science fiction novel by William Gibson

The Peripheral is a 2014 science fiction mystery-thriller novel by William Gibson set in near- and post-apocalyptic versions of the future. The story focuses on a young rural-town American woman who lives in the near future, and on a London publicist who lives 70 years thereafter.

<i>The Family Fang</i> (film) 2015 film by Jason Bateman

The Family Fang is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Bateman and written by David Lindsay-Abaire, based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Kevin Wilson. The film stars Bateman, Nicole Kidman, and Christopher Walken. The film was released on April 29, 2016, by Starz Digital.

<i>Curve</i> (film) 2015 American film

Curve is a 2015 American horror-thriller film directed by Iain Softley and written by Kimberly Lofstrom Johnson and Lee Patterson. It stars Julianne Hough and Teddy Sears. It was produced by Jason Blum for his Blumhouse Productions banner. The film had its world premiere at the Film4 Fright Fest on August 31, 2015. The film was released on January 19, 2016, through video on demand prior to be releasing on home media formats on February 2, 2016, by Universal Pictures.

<i>Kimberly Akimbo</i> (musical) 2021 musical by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire

Kimberly Akimbo is a 2021 musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, and lyrics and book by David Lindsay-Abaire. It is based on Lindsay-Abaire's 2001 comedy of the same name.

References

  1. ↑ Howard, Linda. "Amazon.com: To Die For: A Novel (9780345476258): Linda Howard: Books." Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Amazon.com. Web. 04 Feb. 2011. https://www.amazon.com/Die-Novel-Linda-Howard/dp/0345476255
  2. ↑ To Die For (Blair Mallory Series #1), Blair Mallory Series, Linda Howard, (9780345476258) Mass Market Paperback - Barnes & Noble." Barnes & Noble.com. Barnes & Noble.com. Web. 04 Feb. 2011. <http://search.barnesandnoble.com/To-Die-For/Linda-Howard/e/9780345476258#TABS>.
  3. ↑ Howard, Linda. To Die For. Toronto: Random House, 2005. Print.
  4. ↑ Amazon.com: To Die For: A Novel (9780345476258): Linda Howard: Books." Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Amazon. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. <https://www.amazon.com/Die-Novel-Linda-Howard/dp/0345476255>.
  5. ↑ "The Best Reviews: Linda Howard, To Die For Review." The Best Reviews: Home. Writers Space. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. <http://thebestreviews.com/review25764>.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.